GTAmissions1

Two different buses in Mississauga involved in accidents. One at Hurontario and Elm last Sunday caused by a drunk driver (January 14th according to a tweet). Drunk driver was apprehended at the scene. Other one was January 15th around 4:30 AM at Burnhamthrope and Dixie due to a police chase. Link below: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/siu-investigating-mississauga-collision-involving-transit-bus-1.6725939

Also noticed that there are plans to refurbish the existing double decker buses. I don't think there are plans to exercise the option yet for additional buses. Needing to maintain what they currently have to match service levels. Metrolinx has purchased hundreds of buses over the last few years with the SuperLo double decker bus order along with refurbishing older buses to keep them around longer.

Going through the updated 2024 Transit Initiatives document, here are the updates: Route 7: Martin Grove Introduce Sunday/holiday service between 8 AM to 8 PM with a minimum frequency of every 72 minutes Route 8: Kennedy Restructure to loop around Milliken via Kennedy, left Passmore, left Midland, left Steeles to terminus Early morning, morning rush hour and afternoon rush hour frequency improved from approximately 16 minutes to 15 minutes Midday frequency improved from approximately 34 minutes to 26 minutes Early and late evening frequency improved from approximately 31 minutes to 23 minutes Saturday frequency improved from approximately 34-36 minutes to 25-35 minutes Sunday frequency improved from approximately 35-70 minutes to 26-69 minutes Weekday and Saturday late evening service extended from 11 p.m. to approximately 12 a.m. Changes are to better accommodate when York University Markham campus opens later this year. Route 9: 9th Line Frequency improvements in peak periods from 35 to 37 minutes to every 32 minutes Mid-day frequency improved from every 52 minutes to every 42 minutes Service along Highway 48/Main and Ninth Line/Hoover Park Drive removed to restructure routing via Reeve Ways Road and Millard Street/Baker Hill Boulevard Route 16: 16th Avenue Improved rush hour frequency from every 27 to 28 minutes to every 24 minutes Route 20: Jane Extend route north of Teston Road to McGown Road Route 24: Woodbine Extend hours of service to midnight on weekdays and Saturday instead of the current 11 PM on weekdays and 7 PM on Saturday Extend hours of service to 10 PM on Sunday instead of the current 7 PM Route 25: Major Mackenzie Frequency improvement during the midday and evenings from 60 to 63 minutes to every 40 to 44 minutes Introduce Saturday service between 6 AM to 8 PM with a frequency of every 70 minutes Route 33: Wellington-Leslie Discontinue service along Desjardins Way Extend service to Davis Drive/Highway 404 Park and Ride via Leslie Route 50: Queensway Morning rush hour frequency improved from approximately 32 minutes to 27 minutes Afternoon rush hour frequency improved from approximately 32 minutes to 27 minutes Saturday frequency improved from approximately 52-65 minutes to 41 minutes Sunday/holiday frequency improved from approximately 72-90 minutes to 58 minutes Improved connection options with Mobility On-Request North Route 88: Bathurst Saturday service frequency improved from every 32 to 36 minutes to every 26 to 29 minutes Route 90: Leslie Extend Saturday hours to operate until midnight from the current 10 PM Extend Sunday hours to 10 PM from the current 8 PM Viva Purple A: Andre De Grasse stop to be relocated to the rapidway stop along with renaming to Birchmount pending BRT rapidway construction Route 51: Keswick Reintroduce route operating only during PM peak periods with frequency every 75 minutes Provides connection to Keswick Marketplace and Multi-Use Recreational Complex This change is pending when the MURC or Multi-Use Recreational Complex opens Final comments: Some new changes and extensions of service that were approved to better accommodate. 2025 Service Initiatives comes out around the spring.

Just double checked the 2024 Transit Initiatives report and it does confirm that Route 51 Keswick Local is coming back, but on a very limited capacity. Operating every 75 minutes during the PM peak period only. This was pending the opening of the multi-use recreation complex.

Looking at the new version (December 22, 2023), here an interesting change I have noticed. N63 Rideau proposed which would most likely be for the final three trips from Kanata on Sunday (hourly frequency). 10:13 PM to 12:13 AM the next day since Line 1 finishes at 11 PM on Sunday. I didn't include the Saturday departures since Line 1 final departure is 2 AM which wouldn't impact the final arrival for 63 Tunney's Pasture at 1:53 AM unless bus breaks down or other issue. Plus the night stop exists for pickup and drop-off which is pretty close to the station entrance. Final comments: This arrangement of N63 Rideau is more to avoid the need to change buses when trains are finished for the night plus reach a more central point for those looking to go beyond Rideau Station. For the 10:13 PM trip from Innovation Park and Ride in Kanata, that trip arrives at Tunney's at 11:09 PM which would miss the final train connection. Especially operating on hourly frequency doesn't help for those who only has the 63 as an option which drops to hourly after 8 PM.

10 passengers injured on-board the bus along with both the transit operator and the car that was involved. There were approximately 30 passengers on-board. https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/10-passengers-injured-after-transit-bus-drives-into-oncoming-traffic-crashes-into-ditch-near-mississauga-toronto-border-1.6707762

Budget cuts. Especially since I know CityTV is riding on the ABC feed for New Years Eve live in Times Square. I won't deny when local stations would cover New Years Eve events specific to their area, you could stay home and actually watch it versus dealing with thousands of people present. Or dealing with extreme weather or cold. Versus now, stations are more focused on those that will get more attention such as sports if there is a game going on.

Reggie Savage, NHL player who played for the Washington Capitals and the Quebec Nordiques in the 1990s has passed away last Sunday at the age of 53 years old. https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/former-quebec-nordique-forward-reggie-savage-dies-of-cancer-at-53-1.6704632

The hardware on-board buses and stations shouldn't be an issue since they can be reprogrammed to another system if needed plus owned by OC Transpo. Noting that they have replaced the PNG (Presto Next Generation) devices with new hardware that can process transfers and multi-day passes by scanning the QR code on-board buses along with handling credit card payments both physical and digital. I think Metrolinx will try to convince OC Transpo to stick with the Presto smart card system saying "maintain consistency with GTHA systems." At the same time, I don't think OC Transpo wants to pay a higher percentage just to maintain consistency or change a formula. Despite how Ottawa has different needs such as handling STO transfers. This is what over $1.2 billion dollars purchases considering that the claim is "we wanted to have a made in Ontario solution." Trying to sell a product to other agencies outside of Ontario recouping the cost via interchange fees. When other products on the market could have done it for a lot less without needing to reinvent the wheel along with providing options that already exist that don't need to be built from scratch.

Metrolinx is simply a crown provincial corporation that focuses on integration and coordination within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area being their major area of focus. The only reason why Ottawa was forced to adapt the Presto smart card system was because of the contract terms of the $600 million dollar funding for Stage 1 funding along with gas tax funding received to help support the day to day operations at OC Transpo. Presto contract expires in 2027 for Ottawa.

Harry Rosen, famed men's clothing and footwear design has passed away on December 24th at the age of 92 years old. https://www.cp24.com/news/harry-rosen-famed-canadian-men-s-clothing-and-footwear-designer-dead-at-92-1.6700966

Orillia Transit cash fares go up to $3 effective January 1st. Effective March 1st, seniors fare will be $2 along with a 12 month pilot project on the teen pass for those between 13 to 19 years old. Both products are tied to the cOnnect smart card system which means the passenger would have to verify their age along with purchasing a smart card in order to receive the concession. Seniors cannot get the discounted fare via cash which will instead be regular fare. https://www.orilliamatters.com/local-news/orillia-transit-senior-pass-free-teen-pass-to-roll-out-in-march-7997122 Final comments: Earlier this year, they wanted to reduce frequencies during certain time periods. Now changing their tune so that they offer concessions to certain fare categories assuming they have the financial capacity to sell what they already have. At least it is every half hour when Orillia Transit operates which is workable. Both will be regular 40 ft buses to replace two older buses in the fleet. Especially when the City of Orillia orders through Metrolinx which only orders specific sizes (40 ft and 60 ft buses). Reading the article, there is no cost difference between a shorter bus and the standard regular bus being operated. Plus Orillia Transit does cycle buses between different routes. Which would further complicate things depending on how they schedule interlines between different routes at the downtown hub. A smaller transit agency like Orillia doesn't have much financial capacity to deal with higher price increases especially when looking through different avenues to secure funding to cover the gap between what is available and the price quoted by the volume discount provided by Metrolinx TPI.

Union Pearson Express will resume operating until 1 AM from Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 every day effective January 7th. https://www.metrolinx.com/en/news/late-night-up-service-returns-and-more-go-updates?fbclid=IwAR1CJYK0cBS_igASpcyyH4GL4OkzirDvX5M5UgermasvyjtBmR0cSQTVMGU Final comments: I did hear the complaints that the final trip from Pearson International Airport ends at 11:30 PM which is a bit early depending on when the flight arrives. Since Union Pearson Express is based out of Terminal 1 which is for Air Canada/Star Alliance along with Lynx Airlines. Or those coming from Terminal 3 and needing to take the people mover to connect to Terminal 1 wanting a quick trip into downtown and willing to pay the premium fare. If coming from an international destination needing to clear customs, that takes a bit of time depending on passenger volume. Last two trips were in the early morning (7 AM) which would have lower passenger volume versus the afternoon or evening which would have more volume to process. TTC is always avalible at the lower rate around the clock. It may not be the quickest, but for $3.30 with Presto/credit card or $3.35 with cash or purchasing a one-way or two ride Presto ticket with two hour transfer, it all depends on the final end destination.

Looks like it is two this year. Both were posted on YRT social media at two different parades. Can confirm e2201 doesn't have the holiday wrap. Only 1509 and e2104 are the wrapped units.

It is retired, so I don't think it would get holiday wrap. The two buses with holiday wrap are 1509 and e2104 this year.

From the 2020 Transit Initiatives document on potential routes for articulated buses on conventional routes: Bathurst Street Bayview Avenue Dufferin Street Rutherford Road/Carrville Road Keele Street Major Mackenzie Drive Express routes connecting to subway stations The only routes that operate with articulated buses is the Jane corridor (20 Jane/720 Jane Express), 90 Leslie and 107/107B Keele. There are no plans to expand to other routes currently. Especially reading about how some transit agencies are either reducing the amount of new buses or deferring new purchases. Some are lucky to hold the pricing for a certain period of time while others have to deal with the new quoted cost and needing to work on getting approval based on the revised info.

Interesting since I know YRT did get a lot of new replacement buses from New Flyer last year. 2206 to 2240 (XD40) and 2241 to 2264 (XD60) for the conventional service. Plus considering that there are 39 A330 buses still in the VIVA fleet, but only 12 are utilized during the peak periods, better to shift the inventory over to conventional versus trying to purchase new buses if units can be reallocated from other areas. Viva Orange uses 9 buses during the peak periods. Yellow during the weekday daytimes is three buses which only 12 A330 buses are utilized.

Route 16 Hamilton Express is at the mercy of Gardiner/QEW traffic, but it is direct which only stops at Union Station Bus Terminal and one local stop before looping into Hamilton Go Centre. Route 16 is every half hour from Union Station Bus Terminal from 7 PM until 8:30 PM. Then it goes down to hourly from 8:30 PM until 12:30 AM the next day. If you are coming off the train, make sure you also factor the walking distance between the train station and bus terminal which are two separate facilities.

James McCaffery, the voice actor for the Max Payne series along with voicing Alan Wake's Alex Casey has passed away at the age of 65 years old yesterday (December 17, 2023)

You should put it in the YRT/Viva thread down below versus making a new thread. So changes are easier to track along with easier discussion. I understand you are new. For future reference, impacts or changes for specific transit agencies should be in the specific thread.

Right now, there are 39 VIVA A330 buses. I don't count 5147 since it was involved in an accident last year and no info if it was retired or refurbished. Orange uses around 9 buses during the peak periods since frequency was increased to around 13 minutes during peak periods. Yellow uses 3 buses during the weekday daytime to maintain the 13 minute frequency. Weekends, it operates every 18 to 20 minutes with two buses. The utilization is around 12 buses which gives a utilization of around 30.8 percent of the A330 buses. Even with spare buses to cover in case of breakdowns or mechanical problems, the spare ratio would still be pretty high. You would need at least 20 buses in-service to crack over 50 percent utilization which isn't likely to happen anytime soon.

Porter is adding a flight between Ottawa and Winnipeg effective May 16, 2024. The flight will operate as a round trip starting in Ottawa at 9 AM arriving in Winnipeg at 10:47 AM. Then from Winnipeg at 11:40 AM arriving in Ottawa at 3:12 PM.

Service changes effective December 24th. Only focusing on the minor changes: Route 50 Queensway: Provide service to The ROC until 1 PM upon request on-board only to the operator After 1 PM, passengers must contact the Mobility-On-Request phone number with at least 60 minutes notice to request the next available Route 50 to service The ROC Service is only provided when The ROC is open Route 90 Leslie and high school routes: Suspended from December 25th due to school holidays resuming on January 8th TTC 68B Warden: Weekday frequency adjustment noted below until January 7th when regular frequencies resume Morning rush hour – every 27 minutes Midday – every 36 minutes Afternoon rush hour – every 24 minutes First northbound trip from Warden Subway Station will depart at 5:40 a.m. instead of 5:59 a.m Route 720 Jane Express/760 Vaughan Mills/Finch: Hours of service to match opening hours for Canada's Wonderland and Vaughan Mills January 7th service changes: Viva Purple/Purple A: Sunday adjustments noted below Schedules will be adjusted First and last trips will be adjusted Viva Yellow: Viva yellow will continue to service Platform 10 at Newmarket Terminal; however, the stop number will be updated from 6426 to 9887 Route 2: Milliken: Weekday trip adjustment noted below The eastbound trip from Finch GO Bus Terminal (stop 2332) will depart at 5:57 p.m. instead of 6 p.m TTC 17A Birchmount: Weekday frequency adjustment noted below until February 17th noted below Early morning – approximately every 27 minutes Morning rush hour – approximately every 30 minutes Afternoon rush hour – approximately every 27 minutes February 18th: Afternoon rush hour frequency reduced to every half hour Route 26 Maple: Restructured to provide two way service north of Major Mackenzie terminating at Maple Go trading off midday service discontinued Morning rush hour – approximately every 42 minutes Afternoon rush hour – approximately every 48 minutes Northbound from Vaughan Metro Centre at 5:05 PM until 7:36 PM Southbound from Maple Go at 5:30 PM until 8 PM Route 40 Unionville Local: Weekday service adjustments noted below Schedules will be adjusted In addition, the last trip from Markville Mall (stop 1827) will depart at 8:27 p.m. instead of 8:19 p.m Route 50 Queensway: Weekend frequency adjustments noted below Saturday: Morning – approximately every 40 minutes Midday – approximately every 39 to 44 minutes Evening – approximately every 39 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Sunday/holiday: Morning – approximately every 53 minutes Midday – approximately every 53 to 58 minutes Evening – approximately every 53 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted TTC 68B Warden: Frequency adjustments noted below Weekday: Morning rush hour – approximately every 24 minutes Afternoon rush hour – approximately every 23 minutes Saturday: Morning – approximately every 39 minutes Route 87 Autumn Hill: Frequency adjustments noted below Morning rush hour – approximately every 75 to 90 minutes Afternoon rush hour – approximately every 88 to 96 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Route 90 Leslie: Saturday frequency adjustments noted below Morning – approximately every 43 minutes Midday – approximately every 47 minutes Evening – approximately every 42 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Route 91/91A Bayview: Weekday frequency adjustments noted below Early morning – approximately every 24 minutes Morning rush hour – approximately every 24 minutes Afternoon rush hour – approximately every 26 minutes Late evening – approximately every 42 minutes First/last trips adjusted for all Route 91 Bayview branches (91/91A/91B) Route 91E Bayview Limited Express: Rebranded as 391 Bayview Express Route 98E Yonge Express: Final trip discontinued due to low ridership along with duplication of service TTC 129A McCowan North: Frequency adjustments noted below Weekdays: Morning rush hour approximately every 16 minutes Saturdays: Early evening frequency approximately every 40 minutes Route 165/165F Weston: Route changes and frequency adjustments noted below Route 165 – Weston will be extended to Major Mackenzie West Terminal and will no longer service the Highway 400/ Major Mackenzie carpool lot. Route 165F will be discontinued; customers may continue to use Route 21 – Vellore. Weekdays: Morning rush hour – will be maintained at 15 minutes Midday – approximately every 28 to 35 minutes Afternoon rush hour – approximately every 15 to 18 minutes Evening – approximately every 40 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Saturday: Morning – approximately every 37 to 40 minutes Afternoon – approximately every 45 minutes Evening – approximately every 36 to 40 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Sunday/holiday: Morning – approximately every 36 minutes Afternoon – approximately every 40 minutes Evening – approximately every 37 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Route 300 Business Express: The afternoon trip from Commerce Valley Drive/ Highway 7 (stop 2918) at 5:09 p.m. will begin earlier at approximately 5:01 p.m. from Highway 7/ Allstate Parkway (stop 6789) to assist with passenger loads Route 361 Nashville Express: Frequency adjustments noted below Morning rush hour – approximately every 22 to 26 minutes Afternoon rush hour – approximately every 25 to 27 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Route 720 Jane Express: Rebranded as 320 Jane Express along with frequency adjustments noted below Weekday: Morning rush hour – approximately every 11 minutes Mall opening – approximately every 10 minutes Midday – approximately every 12 minutes Mall closing – approximately every 10 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Saturday: Mall opening – approximately every 14 minutes Midday – approximately every 18 minutes Mall closing – approximately every 14 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Sunday: Mall opening – approximately every 14 minutes Midday – approximately every 18 minutes Mall closing – approximately every 14 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Route 760 Vaughan Mills/Wonderland: Rebranded as 360 Vaughan Mills/Wonderland Weekday service suspended until Spring 2024 Saturday: Mall opening – approximately every 28 minutes Midday – approximately every 40 minutes Mall closing – approximately every 30 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted Sunday/holiday: Mall opening – approximately every 26 minutes Midday – approximately every 36 minutes Mall closing – approximately every 28 minutes First and last trips will be adjusted On-Request Keswick (January 2024: Exact date to be confirmed) Customers may use On-Request Keswick to travel to the Multi-use Recreation Complex (MURC) on Woodbine Avenue. Customers can travel between any address within the defined service area and the following locations: Simcoe Avenue/Metro Road (stop 4079) Glenwoods Avenue/The Queensway South (stop 4072) The Queensway South/Ravenshoe Road (stop 4060) Keswick Marketplace (stop 6740) Georgina Ice Palace (stop 4088) Multi-use Recreation Complex Span of hours: Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 10:45 p.m Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 7:45 p.m On-Request Newmarket Local Details such as stops and span of hours to be confirmed in January 2024 Final comments: The main focus is the rebranding of existing express routes (91E Bayview Limited Express/720 Jane Express/760 Vaughan Mills/Wonderland) into the 300 series to be better consistent with the existing Route 300 series routes. Back when the Route 300 series routes were more marketed as premium express via Highway 407. 98E Yonge Express was down to one trip. Only a matter of time before it was eliminated. Especially when most passengers have shifted to Viva Blue which provides more frequent service between Finch Go and Bernard/Newmarket Bus Terminal. Needing to match supply with demand.

Lynx Air is based out of Calgary, Alberta.

Porter Airlines is adding three new destinations from Montreal effective Spring 2024 per this tweet attached: Here are the exact dates of the new routes: Montreal to Vancouver: April 11, 2024 Montreal to Edmonton: May 1, 2024 Montreal to Calgary: May 28, 2024 Final comments: Porter is definitely putting the investment of new Embraer E195-E2 jets to pretty good use along with an aggressive expansion plan. All three new routes will be one trip in each direction with mornings from the west coast and evening departures from Montreal. Montreal is being built as a new hub for Porter Airlines along with Ottawa. This year has been more of a foundation since Porter worked on building their domestic network along with inaugural flights before expanding into Florida starting November 2023. This is along with offering discounts that include new routes when they start service or what I call loss leader fares along with marketing the differentiation from both the major and low cost airlines. 2024 will definitely cement that foundation even further with new additional routes to the US along with rolling out additional routes to Ottawa and Montreal hubs. I know I hope to take Porter Airlines for my next trip.